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Judge overturns acquittal, sentences Alice Tong to 2 years 10 months
The ruling said her case involved “overwhelming” circumstantial evidence, after prosecutors previously failed to prove she committed or abetted violence.
South China Morning Post reports that Hong Kong District Court sentenced Alice Tong Ka-yan, 27, to two years and 10 months in prison for rioting tied to the 2019 anti-government protests after a judge overturned her acquittal.
According to SCMP Economy, Judge Edmond Lee Chun-man described the sentence as the most lenient available for a defendant who pleaded not guilty, and said the decision reflected factors including her background, stress from seven years of proceedings, and her increased difficulty returning to a legal career after a conviction last month.
The court heard Tong was studying law at Lancaster University in the United Kingdom when she briefly returned to Hong Kong during summer break and took part in a protest in Wan Chai on August 31, 2019, during a 30-minute stand-off between protesters and police on Hennessy Road.
SCMP Economy said Tong had been cleared of rioting in August 2021 because prosecutors were found not to have proved she committed a violent act or abetted violence, before the judge later found “overwhelming” circumstantial evidence.